Britain's Queen Elizabeth said today the government would pass a law paving the way for a referendum on the country's membership of the European Union, in a speech setting out Prime Minister David Cameron's legislative plan for the coming year.

"Early legislation will be introduced to provide for an in-out referendum on membership of the European Union before the end of 2017," the queen said, speaking in parliament.

"My government will renegotiate the United Kingdom's relationship with the European Union and pursue reform of the European Union for the benefit of all member states," she added.

The 89-year-old monarch was delivering the Queen's Speech, a tradition full of pomp and ceremony.

The EU referendum official announcement came as Cameron faces pressure to explain when it will be held and what changes to the EU he wants before then.

Cameron, who says he would prefer to stay inside a reformed EU but isn't "ruling anything out" if it fails to change, was re-elected on May 7 on a pledge to reshape ties with the bloc before allowing Britons to vote on whether to stay or leave.

Other laws the queen outlined today included a crackdown on illegal migration and more powers for Scotland.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.